SANDIWAY golfer Elaine Ratcliffe has been named Rookie of the Year on her first season on the Ladies' European Tour.

The 26-year-old got into the swing of professional golf straight away, earning £12,145 and finishing 66th on the money list.

She turned professional last August and spent time travelling around America to get a feel for the rigours of life on tour.

Since the 1999 European circuit began in Sweden in June, Elaine has played in 12 events, her highest finish coming in last month's Hanover Expo 2000 Open, where she was placed fifth.

She finished the season 66th on the LET list to take the prestigious Bill Johnson Trophy for best rookie.

She said: "I'm really pleased to win it. I was ahead going in to the last tournament and pleased to play well enough to stay there.

"I thoroughly enjoyed the first year, met a lot of people and went to a lot of different places. If you manage to break even, it's a success and I got some good sponsorship to cover my expenses."

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